Eagles revamped offensive line key to Super Bowl run

The Eagles brought back a talented veteran blocker to solve a big issue.

While Doug Pederson’s team has finished 9-7 each of the past two seasons since winning an NFL championship in 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of only four teams in the league to make the playoffs each of the past three seasons. They join the New England Patriots (11), Kansas City Chiefs (5) and New Orleans Saints in that regard.

The Birds’ head coach has gotten the job done, most notably the past two years as the club wound up digging itself into some early-season holes and somehow rallied in December to reach the postseason.

But since capturing Super Bowl LII via a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots, the Eagles have digressed when it comes to playoff success each year. In 2018, the club won a wild card game at Chicago before losing at New Orleans.

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This past year, the NFC East champions hosted the wild card Seattle Seahawks, who actually had a better record (11-5) than Philadelphia. Quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a concussion early in the game and Russell Wilson and company came away with a 17-9 win in the City of Brotherly Love.

Back to that Super Bowl season. Pederson’s squad was led by sensational line play and it enabled both quarterback that year, Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, to excel. This unit was especially dominant in the win over the Patriots as the Eagles ran for 164 yards and did not allow a sack in the victory.

And that was with left tackle Jason Peters sidelined for the second half of the season and the playoffs. But now it is quality right guard Brandon Brooks who will miss the 2020 campaign with an Achilles injury. And after not planning to re-sign Peters and allowing him to enter free agency, the nine-time Pro Bowl tackle is back and will line up at right tackle in place of Brooks. Via Mike Kay of NJ.com, the team has quite the lineup (again) up front.

There’s a lot of excitement once again when it comes to this team, especially if Wentz and his wide receiving corps can stay healthy. With a group (via Mike Kay of NJ.com) that includes Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and newcomers in 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor and former 49ers’ speedster Marquise Goodwin (acquired via trade), the offense has a ton of big-play potential. And if the new-look line can recapture that 2017 form, it could be very big year for Pederson and his club.